La Luz with Color Green

Friday 4/18, The Southern Cafe and Music Hall With the release of News of the Universe in 2024, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Shana Cleveland led her band, La Luz, to deeper levels of previously staked-out musical terrain. What began in 2012 as a surfy, twanged-out Seattle quartet with ‘60s girl-group leanings has evolved into a […]

New memoir cultivates reverence for our fellow animals 

In her book, Moonlight Elk: One Woman’s Hunt for Food and Freedom, Christie Green writes: “When the days are distilled into life and death moments and attuned to tiny toenail prints in the soil and subtle wind shifts, my old identities pale.” A sensuous exploration of the animal world and our place within it, Green’s […]

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

Everything is blooming, and it’s time for UVA’s Springfest, when university students invite one of today’s hottest recording artists to town and throw a party for all. This year’s headliner from the Bronx, New York, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, brings a laidback lyrical form with catchy hooks over trap-style beats. The emcee has released […]

St. Vincent

Alt-rock superstar St. Vincent comes to town, riding a wave of praise garnered by her most recent studio album. The multiple Grammy-winner earned three awards this year, including Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album for All Born Screaming. With expressive vocals and impeccable guitar skills, St. Vincent (aka Annie […]

“Little Women”

The classic coming-of-age story spotlighting sibling support takes center stage in a new production of Little Women. Erin Riley’s acclaimed 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s most famous work follows the March sisters—Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate the pitfalls of life, love, and a nation at war with itself. Set against the backdrop […]

Dweezil Zappa plays Frank Zappa

Friday 4/11, The Paramount Theater Maybe it’s unfair to say that Dweezil Zappa has made a lifelong career of being the child of a legendary musician. At 55 years old, he has amassed a decent list of solo records and even won a Grammy for his guitar playing, a good deal of which he’s lent […]

Cowboy Junkies

Tuesday 4/15 & Wednesday 4/16, The Jefferson Theater Any music act that’s been writing, recording, and touring over the course of 40 years deserves respect. For Cowboy Junkies, the unwavering dedication to their craft equates to more than 20 studio records and countless other contributions to a pioneering style of what jerks like me in […]

Ty Cooper’s One Mic Stand is about free expression

“This stage is for you. You don’t have to be an artist to share a story.” This is Ty Cooper’s message to anyone attending his One Mic Stand shows, a live series staged for more than 10 years at Piedmont Virginia Community College. “We just wanted to provide a platform for artists to express themselves […]

Tom Tom takes another big swing

The Tom Tom Festival is doubling down on inclusivity while the rest of the country seems to be betting against it. The theme of the 2025 festival’s opening day is “civic futures,” and the idea, according to organizer Paul Beyer, is to bring the most influential local minds together to talk about their “big vision” […]